Singapore’s “4G team” leader Lawrence Wong, who took oath on May 15 as the country’s fourth Prime Minister succeeding Lee Hsien Loong, attended his first public event yesterday as the new head of state, and he was greeted by an absolutely rapturous crowd.
Wong was meeting people at Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, from where he first contested the general elections in 2015, and where has been the Anchor Minister since then.
In an Instagram post accompanying a video of the visit, Wong wrote: “My first event as PM – to meet with residents of @myt_grc! Thank you everyone for your well wishes and support!” The post was also shared on his official Twitter account.
The video showed a hugely enthusiastic crowd, waving red and white plastic batons — colours of the Singapore flag — with broad smiles on their faces and frequent shouts of: “Majulah Singapura!” Wong was in the middle of it all, shaking hands with several people at a time.
Then, PM Wong went up to the event dais and said, “Let’s work together to build a better Singapore.” The audience cheered with gusto.
Following his brief address, Wong also posed for photographs with members of the diverse communities that form Singaporean society.
And so, he wrapped up his first half-week as the new Prime Minister of Singapore. Since taking oath, Wong has shared a few photos on social media, showing himself at work — that includes his first Cabinet meeting as PM and phone calls with other Asian heads of state. He has also shared a video showing his journey from childhood to his public role.
Born in 1972, Lawrence Wong is the first prime minister from Singapore’s post-independence generation — he highlighted this during the swearing-in ceremony — and the video of his journey through life is also the story of the country that he now leads.